FF15: A Gary Stu story
by azndrgn
Summary: That's right, this story is an OC that is named Gary Stu. You've been warned. A story to make you cringe so hard that you start laughing. A what if OC that changes Noct and Luna's original destiny of death. Hurls ff15 lore up in the air. Commisioned by two of my friends who wanted to see it in writing. If you complain about the OC being a gary stu despite all this warning.. yea bye


**Another random one shot partly inspired/joked about with my two friends. One who lent me the game, and one who gave me the idea. Let's face it, with Dawn of the Future canceled, we'll all be stuck with the saddish ending. So in response, this story came to be.**

 **Fair warning, this story is going to make you cringe so hard that you'll laugh. They say that making a Gary Stu story doesn't make a very good one, and that it's boring. Which is true to a point. There is a line and a wall between making a character that is enjoyable with believable flaws and one that is flat out Gary Stu or Mary Sue, who is supposed to be perfect. Sure any writer/dreamer/reader may poke a few holes and put their feet past the long. Some may defend their characters, saying it's not a Gary Stu or Mary Sue.** **Me? This story is me taking a nuke to blow that wall and tossing my OC character right past that line. I'm not even gonig to defend that it's not, I'm going to defend that it is! I'm putting so many Gary Stu trope that it blows past the 'oh god this story is terrible, die' to 'oh god this story is terrible that I'm laughing.'**

 **Thus why I'm putting it as humor and one shot. Though I do have a more realistic approach of having the happy ending that doesn't envolve super op OC, but it'll be a long time before it comes down into writing.**

 **Enjoy, and yes, I'm tossing FF15 lore up in the air and not giving a FK about it.**

 **Also, the OC character's name is Gary Stu, so you all should know exactly what the OC is going to be like.**

* * *

Noctis Lucis Caelum took a deep breath. He had managed to convince Camelia Claustro, first Secretary of Accordo, to help him and secure a compromise. He was on a gondola with his own Crownsguard, which he considered them more like brothers than friends.

"During the rite, we must see to it the empire does not harass Leviathan," warned Ignis Scientia, his adviser, childhood friend, and a lot of other things as they were making their final preparations.

Ignis took care of Noctis as long as he could remember, not only could Ignis cook a mean meal, he helped pampered him, as much as Noctis didn't want to admit.

Gladiolus Amicitia leaned on his seat before replying, "Gonna be tough to pull off before the king receives his power." Gladiolus is more like the older brother type, one that is overprotective. Always being the one who protected Noctis from harm as well as he could. He was 'Shield of the King', after all. Gladiolus was also one to be blunt about some topics.

"And with the four of us on evacuation detail," stated Prompto Argentum as he put down his camera, after having taking dozens of photos.

Though he had been a citizen, they have been friends since grade school. After Prompto volunteered to be part of the Crownsguard for Noctis, he had been surprised that his best friend would join him on such a dangerous journey. Noctis appreciated their friendship ever more. Prompto could always cut the tension in the air with his witty remarks and photos, his cheerfulness always dissolving any gloom. That sunny disposition had helped a lot during their journey. The four of them turned to their fifth member of the group. Quite honestly, none of them had really met him before the start of their adventure. He had been a sudden last-minute addition to their journey, requested by King Regis, Noctis's father. They, had been, of course, worried about the spacing in the Regalia with five men in it, but the man bought his own motorcycle with them, making it a bit easier. Not to mention "if" and "when" they had car troubles, which was far in between, he could easily ride off to the nearest gas station with Noctis and grab a tow truck.

The man had black short hair and heterochromia iridium, with his right eye blue and left eye green. He was just as good looking as all of them, wearing a black shirt and pants.

Not much was known about him except for his name when he gave it, and his age was a mystery, though they estimated him to be roughly Gladiolus's age. He was a silent type, rarely one to talk unless spoken directly to, and even then he merely made grunts or gestured with his head, merely nodding or shaking it for yes or no.

He was, at least, a fighter. Since he wasn't directly connected to Noctis, he couldn't summon weapons in a flash as they all could. Instead, he carried dirk and a collapsible steel bo staff with him at all times. They had all seen him flawlessly link up with them, and so far, no complaints. More than once, he saved their hides, like the instance where Prompto tripped during their quest to deal with Deadeye. He promptly jumped on the beast's head and stabbed its other eye to distract it, making Prompto referring it to now, Blindeyes.

Not to mention he was always the sous-chef with Ignis, helping prepare food even faster.

"Yo, you gonna add anything?" asked Prompto.

The man merely grunted before looking back out to the sea.

"Indeed. The best we can realistically do is to help the Hydraean help herself," started Ignis once more, ignoring the silent tension.

"What kind of help you talkin' bout?" asked Gladiolus.

"Just like Titan, the empire will seek to immobilize Leviathan," replied Ignis.

"Ah, with the harpoon things?" added Prompto.

"If we can dislodge them from the goddess, she will have a fighting chance," nodded Ignis.

"Sounds good in theory, but don't push it. It's pointless unless you can get that blessing," Gladiolus pointed out.

"Stay flexible, stay alert," said Ignis.

"Alright, will do," nodded Noctis before turning to their fifth member, "Gary Stu, you good?"

Gary slowly turned his head to Noctis before nodding. Another peculiar perk was that he seemed to be more receptive to Noctis's orders.

* * *

"Then let us rest," stated Ignis as their gondola reached their stop, "We have a busy day tomorrow. I will go stock up on supplies with Gary. The rest of you, prepare yourselves."

Night came before them, the calm before the storm. Noctis had his own room while the others shared another, but connected so they could protect their king. Prompto was checking the conditions of his firearms, making sure they were properly cleaned while Gladiolus sharpened his blades and polished his shield. Ignis was taking inventory of their items, distributing potions and such into piles for them all. Noctis was left inside his own room, laying in bed. In just 12 hours, he would finally see his beloved Lunafreya Nox Fleuret.

He was, of course, pissed that the wedding had been canceled due to the damn invasion. He was happy to hear she was still alive. And now, he would finally see her. But recent nightmares had been growing days before they arrived at Accordo. How they would briefly meet, only to be cruelly separated.

Noctis heard the door to the other room open and quickly turned his back towards it to feign that he was sleeping. Ignis had ordered him to get an early rest while Gladiolus carried him to the bed and tossed him on it. Both stated that they would take care of the preparation and that he had the hardest job of them all. But how could he sleep, with the love of his life so near, and yet so far?

As he slowly breathed in and out, he heard footsteps coming closer and closer before a warm hand was placed on his shoulder. Noctis kept on feigning sleeping, knowing his friends wouldn't let any stranger near him. The hand merely gently stroked his arm, causing Noctis to unknowingly relaxed under the touch and started to drift to sleep. Just before he did, he heard a whisper.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing goes wrong, despite that damn prophecy. You and Lunafreya will get your happy ending."

That night, Noctis didn't have any nightmares.

* * *

After watching Lunafreya's brave speech, all of them were ready to go. The four of them were escorting civilians out as planned while Noctis was getting ready to plead with the Hydrean to enter into the covenant with him after Lunafreya summoned her. Already, Noctis was fighting through the empire's soldiers, the magitek infantry. As he rushed through them, his heart nearly stopped as he saw Lunafreya get hit by a stream of water from the Leviathan. He almost screamed when the Leviathan tried to eat her, only for Lunafreya to push her away with the trident.

"I vow the King will prove himself worthy!" swore Lunafreya as she stood tall in her belief of Noctis.

The Leviathan nodded as she raised walls of water surrounding the city, ready to test the King.

Noctis began to run faster, trying to find a way through when Ignis's voice rang through his phone.

"Noct! Prompto is headed your way!"

"What about you guys?" asked Noctis.

"We'll wait below- there's only room for two," replied Ignis.

Seconds later, Prompto's voice rang, "Noct, jump!"

Noctis voiced his surprise, only from Prompto to tell him to trust him. Doing so, he jumped off the balcony before landing right onto a small flying ship, commandeered by Prompto. With a cackle, Prompto began guiding it towards Leviathan.

As the two flew away, Ignis and Gladiolus looked up at the fading view.

"I swear, he gets the craziest ideas," grunted Gladiolus, "I'm not even sure how he knows how to control that thing. He can't even drive the Regalia right."

"We should question that later," said Ignis, "Come, we must secure another way towards them. Gladiolus, Gary, let us depart?"

Ignis's statement turned into a question when he saw Gary nowhere to be found.

"The hell? Where'd he go!?" exclaimed Gladiolus.

They turned when they heard a sword breaking through metal to see Gary already far ahead of them before turning a corner.

"C'mon, we can't let the newbie show us up," grunted Gladiolus before charging forward.

* * *

Noctis had his hands full deflecting all the water coils coming at them, but Prompto was able to bring them close enough for him to warp to Leviathan's face.

"Leviathan!" screamed Noctis as she turned her eyes to him, "Hey! Your power, give it up!"

Leviathan seemed to glare at him, prompting him to adopt a more reasonable tone, "I need your power."

Suddenly, she shook him off, causing him to smack into the ground rolling before managing to get up.  
"So the only way you'll help me is if I take you down?" growled Noctis as the water wall seemed to raise up even higher. The Leviathan dived towards him, forcing him to dodge out of the way before warp striking to a better position. Once he was high and close enough, he threw his sword right into the Leviathan's head, warping to it before hacking at her as best he could. Despite his best efforts, though, the Leviathan easily smacked Noctis into the ground so hard that he couldn't get up. He was forced to watch Lunafreya try to run to him, only to fall to the ground, hacking as the toil of her duty caught up to her. His eyes widened as he witnessed Lunafreya being stabbed in the stomach by Ardyn, yet he laid there, unable to do anything.

"Oh, Prince! Your bride awaits!" taunted Ardyn.

Noctis couldn't hear what Lunafreya was telling Ardyn, but enraged him even further when he backhanded her in the face before walking away, giving a mockinghalf-boww.

Lunafreya, despite her wound that stained her white dress even more, looked over to Noctis, who was trying to tell his body to move, but it wasn't working. Using almost willpower alone, she grabbed the trident, raising it and channeling energy into it. A large yellow column of light emerged from it, sending it up to the sky. All over Eos, the tombs of the past kings of Lucis began to glow before yellow columns of light shot forth. All of which began to gather into the heavens before descending down to Noctis.

Leviathan immediately knew what was going to happen and was about to attack Noctis once more, to prevent him from gaining such power when she felt a chill glaze suddenly staring at her, one potent enough to even stop her. She whirled around, trying to find such impudent gaze. She saw someone standing on one of the ruined houses floating in the city, but before she could do anything, the figure disappeared. She growled before returning her attention back to Noctis, just to find herself too late to stop him. Swirls of energy surrounded Noctis as he felt energy coursing through his body.

As the trident fell out of her hands, Lunafreya could only look up to her love, praying for his victory. Spectral images of the weapons of the past kings, ones that he claimed while others he had yet to do so, surrounded him, the Royal Arms lending him strength as he faced off the Leviathan once more. Fully empowered by his ancestors, Noctis gave a fierce roar as he charged towards her, flying in the air and unleashing devastating attacks and combos, firing salvos of energy at her. He broke off her fin with a trident, broke of two more horns on her head, slashing everywhere at her body while warping away from her attacks.

Finally, the Leviathan tried to bite him, only for Noctis to block her attack, sending salvos of energy to her face before firing all 13 spectral images of the Royal Arms into her face, causing her to wail in pain and raise her face, revealing her throat. Grabbing the trident hovering behind him that was solid, Noctis dashed and struck her throat, jamming it deep. With the last of his energy, Noctis dragged the trident down the Leviathan's long body, creating a large gash as he continued down until he hit the sea. Water sprayed from her wounds as Noctis's energy finally left him as he slowly fell down right next to Lunafreya.

Lunafreya quickly crawled to him, and with the lasts of her strength, began healing him despite her own grievous injury. The Leviathan rose up, unwilling to lose when Titan suddenly came forth to protect Lunafreya and Noctis, smashing Leviathan away. The Empire then begun to attack, but the Titan stood resiliently, smashing away all others to protect the two.

* * *

Ignis was rushing towards the pillar of light standing near the Titan, dodging patrols as much as often. He had to get there as soon as possible! He swore on oath to always protect him, not only as a servant, but as a friend and a brother! Prompto and Gladiolus had been separated from him when one of the airships crashed into the bridge. Gary was nowhere to be found, and when they called his cell, the only noise they could hear was the sound of battle and lots of guns firing. From what they could tell from the Accorda military news, he was busy dealing with a lot of magitek soldiers. He had almost reached them when that bastard Caligo distracted him and forced him away from Noct, chasing him back to the city with the huge robot.

Ignis defeated the robot and received help from the last person who he would've expected, Ravus Nox Fleuret, the elder brother of Lunafreya. Ravus had never liked Noctis or anyone of the Caelum bloodline, and had more than once shown his displeasure towards them. But in this case, he was only helping just to make sure his sister was safe, as he placed her safety above everything else. And wherever Noctis was, Lunafreya was surely there.

Surprisingly, the two of them worked well together, taking out the robots in seconds and wiping out patrols before finally reaching Noctis and Lunafreya before the pillar of light faded away. Ravus witnessed his own sister's life fading before his very eyes to keep Noctis safe, driving him into a fit of rage and grief. The Lucian had stolen his mother, and now they had taken his sister! Driven by grief, he drew his sword tried to kill Noctis.

Before Ignis could stop him, a steel bo staff halted the sword's path. Ravus's eyes traced down the bo staff's origins to see Gary holding it perfectly with one hand, stopping his sword with somewhat ease. Ravus slowly drew his sword back, warily staring at Gary. Back at base where they had taken the Regalia, Ravus had been overpowering Gladio with ease with just a single hand. But before he could elbow him into the car, Gary's staff blocked it and even sent him back a little. Before Ravus could do anything else, Ardyn had interfered. Ravus knew all of them except Gary. He was a person whom he never met or even saw before, and yet from what he could gather, he was a part of Noctis's retinue. A true mystery indeed.

"Do you intend to stop me from getting my revenge?" snarled Ravus.

Gary merely ignored him, choosing instead to shift Noctis and Lunafreya so both were facing up to the sky, shifting their hands to Lunafreya's laid on top of Noctis. Noctis unconsciously gripped her hand, as if never wanting to let go. As he was shifting the hands, he noticed the ring in the palm of Noctis's hand and quickly pocketed it.

"Answer me!" shouted Ravus once more, now unable to hold back his tears as he saw Lunafreya's peaceful face facing him now before kneeling down, his rage slowly dissipating.

"Iggy!" shouted Gladiolus's voice as he ran towards them.

"Gladio!" said Ignis with relief, "Are you alright? Where's Prompto?"

Gladiolus seemed to ignore him when he noticed Ravus, walking towards him.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" sneered Gladiolus in a voice unlike his own before raising his broadsword to strike him.

Ravus noticed him and parried the sword before glaring at Gladiolus in rage, "You... Ardyn..."

"Oh dear. Was I that transparent?" asked Gladiolus, or rather the figure of him before dismissing his broadsword and raising his right hand to his head. Suddenly, in front of all of their eyes, he morphed into Ardyn, shattering the illusion on him. Magitek soldiers began to flood the area around them, causing Ravus and Ignis to draw their weapons, ready to fight. They still had energy left, luckily not wasting it on fighting each other.

Gary, however, remained standing still even though two of the soldiers began approaching him. That quickly changed as they got nearer. Right as they entered in arms, reach, Gary lashed out, his hands grabbing each one's neck before snapping it with a flick of a wrist.

"Hoo, so the fifth mysterious figure shows he's no ordinary person," smiled Ardyn. He was also very interested in who exactly this person was. He had his spies look into him when he heard a fifth member joining Noctis, but there were absolutely no records of him. No birth certificate, no address, nothing. It was as if he was a ghost.

Gary didn't answer, but instead took out from his pocket a red feather, a Phoenix Down.

"Hmph, and what would that do?" asked Ardyn, "A Phoenix Down is primarily used for those who are merely down and/or unconscious. It cannot revive someone who's already dead. Are you hoping for some small chance that the girl is still alive?"

Gary's response to him was to gently blow on the feather. The red colors on the feather suddenly dissipated, revealing a pure white feather in his hands. The feather sent shivers down Ignis and Ravus's spine, wondering what the hell that feather was. It almost felt as though it was the essence of life itself.

"That feather... no...," gasped Ardyn before stumbling forward, "Give that feather to me! GIVE IT TO ME!"

Gary merely smirked before letting it go from his hand. The feather fluttered slowly in the air, swaying back and forth before landing onto Lunafreya's chest. Suddenly, the feather burst into flames, surrounding her whole body. Lunafreya's eyes suddenly opened as her mouth released a silent scream while her back arched. Then she fell back into wordlessly, but everyone could clearly see her chest slowly rising and falling as she breathed. Lunafreya, from the depths of darkness, had been pulled back into the living.

Just for insurance, Gary dropped two Hi-Elixirs onto their body, making sure that all their injuries were healed.

"What have you done!" screamed Ardyn, his face distorting to show the grotesque figure that he usually hid, black liquid dripping down his face.

"Just... shattering a few prophecies," chuckled Gary, "I'm the type of guy who prefers happy endings, and will make sure it happens."

"That feather... tell me you have more!" demanded Ardyn.

"What is that feather?" asked Ravus curiously as he quickly dismantled the magitek guards surrounding him.

"An item that can be counted as legendary... no probably surpassing that," mused Gary, "I guess you could count it as... world-shattering. It's not a simple feather talisman imbued with healing magic and other medicinal items, but a true feather from a phoenix, the immortal fire bird. The item can truly raise the dead back to the living, just as shown. It's purifying fires restart the system and purges any ailments within the body. Meaning her physical health is back to what it should be."

Gary turned to Ardyn, "As for your question... nope. I found this feather on sale outside a store back at Lestallum. Some grandma was selling trinkets when she had this out for only 50 gil. It was a steal!"

Ardyn could only blink in shock before roaring in anger, his hand cloaked in daemonic energy as he fired at it Gary, who twirled his staff and blocked it.

"That feather... it could've been used to free me!" shouted Ardyn, "It would've purged this... this curse from me! And you gave it to some lovesick girl!? I don't think I've met anyone who has angered me more than my own brother!"

"What type of brother would you have?" snarked Ignis as he threw his daggers, only for Ardyn to block them.

"I was considering in playing around... but you have forced my plans to change," said Ardyn, glaring directly ad Gary, "You... I will not let you live."

"I'll say the same to you," replied Gary, "I know who you truly are Ardyn. King Regis already gave me all the info dump. Mr. Accursed."

Ardyn raised his eyebrow, "Oh so you already know who I am? Well, that's no fun at all. You know everything about me, but I'm afraid I don't know a single thing about you. Won't you be kind enough to introduce yourself to me, before I kill you? I would like to know more about the man who has been kind enough to set several of my plans back."

"Excuse me, but what the hell is going on!" shouted Ignis, "Accursed? What does that have to do with anything, and what do you mean by King Regis gave you the information? Wouldn't this information have been important for Noctis to know? Shouldn't I, the king's adviser, know?"

Ravus had been silent until he heard the word Accursed. His eyes opened wide as he remembered that term. It was something rather small, but when he explored more of it, he found his leads coming to a steel wall, blocking his way to the information. Now he would finally know what it meant.

"Mind giving out your full/real name?" asked Gary.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," murmured Ardyn, "Would accelerate some plans faster. Very well, my full name from my father's side is Ardyn Lucis Caelum, the older brother of the very first king of Lucis, Somnus. Now then, may I have yours?"

While the others stood in shock at the immortal standing in front of them, Gary merely bowed back to him.

"Very well. As you might know, Gary Stu is not my actual name. Any records that you might've tried to find on me would be woefully inaccurate or missing, as I technically don't exist. Out of curiosity, how much do you know about Noctis's retinue?"

"Enough," said Ardyn clearly annoyed, "Gladiolus is the shield, Ignis as the adviser, and, well Prompto... is a very interesting matter. I'm curious, do you know his origins?"'

"I am well-informed," replied Gary, "All the information about all four of them were given to me. Including the truth and any small detail, add the fact that Cor was involved with Prompto. Not to mention my origins are quite... related to his."

"Hooh, I never thought Regis would allow someone to know so much," nodded Ardyn, "So tell me, what about you?"

"Well, allow me to explain. Noctis, of course, is the king, and in our group, can be considered the torso and heart. The most important part. Gladiolus is the king's shield, and considering Noctis is right-handed, could be counted as the group's left hand. Ignis is obviously the brains, the head of the group, always advising us what to do. Prompto, despite what his birth may have been from, could be said to be the legs of the group. Always helping carry us all through these rough times with a smile. Despite his origins, you might even say he's our group's humanity. Can you guess what that leaves?"

"The right arm of the body?" frowned Ardyn, "I suppose you would be considered the King's sword?"

"You'd be right," smiled Gary as he pulled out the Ring of Lucii from his pocket, "I would be the King's sword, his offense, the weapon to cut a path to his future. And when needed, one final thing."

Gary then held it out in front of them all, "I swore an oath not only to King Regis, but to myself that I would protect Noctis. That I would create a future where he and his beloved were not cursed into this godforsaken destiny!"

Gary then placed the ring right on his left middle finger, causing light to shine forth them all.

"Na ah ah, that's not a good idea," began Ardyn, "Only the bloodline and chosen of the..."

His words began to fail as the ring shone brightly, and yet did not burn Gary at all. Ravus stared at the scene, remembering when he had put the ring on, thinking he was worthy, only to have his whole left arm burned.

"I am Garistu Lucis Caelum... the 'elder' brother of Noctis Lucis Caelum while also being the 'younger' brother so to speak. And I-!"

With a swift motion, Gary threw his dirk at Ardyn, who dodged it, only for Gary to suddenly warp right next to him, catching his dirk.

"Am the King's fucking trump card, gramps!"

Ardyn swiftly had a weapon in his hand to block Gary's swipe, but Gary was strong enough to actually blast him away, followed by bolts of lightning from Gary's hands.

"Hmph, that was easier than I thought," mused Gary out loud before waving his hand in front of him. Spectral weapons, similar to how Noctis had summoned his, surrounded Gary. He walked over to a stunned Ignis before place blood packets with Noctis and Lunafreya's names on it.

"Although they're alive, they lost quite a bit of blood," explained Gary, "Transfuse some blood into them now. As for just …. who or what I am, I've already e-mailed you a file with everything you'll need to know about me. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a family reunion to attend to."

With that, Gary turned and threw his blade across the field, warping right towards it to fight Ardyn.

"Iggy!" shouted the real Gladioulus as he ran up to them with Prompto behind him, "Where's Noct? Is he alright?"

"And what's with all those blood packets?" asked Prompoto

"Ah, yes," blinked Ignis, rebooting his mind, "Noct and Lunafreya are safe but unconscious. Come, we must get them to safety. Ravus, will you be escorting us?"

"Whoa, when'd he get here!?" shouted Prompto in fright as he and Gladiolus just noticed him.

"Ah," blinked Ravus, "Umm, yes."

"How can we trust you?" growled Gladiolus.

"Enough," insisted Ignis as he quickly injected the blood packets into Lunafreya and Noctis, "Ravus, do you want to carry your sister while Galdiolus carries Noct?"

"No, I'll defend," said Ravus, "I'm more capable on that field than any of you... except for Gary perhaps."

"Wait, where is he?" asked Prompto, "Haven't seen him anywhere."

"He is currently... occupied," replied Ignis, "Prompto, come here. Carry these packets, and raise them as high as you can."

"Like this?" asked Prompto.

"Good, now we must depart to a safe zone immediately," nodded Ignis as he scooped up Lunafreya while Gladiolus scooped up Noct. Curiously, their hands never separated from each other despite all this.

"Let's go," said Ignis, with Ravus taking the front. Prompto was still standing in confusion until he felt himself being jerked along from holding the blood packets.

"Hey, wait up!"

* * *

Ardyn growled as he took out his favorite scythe and tried to slice Gary, only for him to block it with his dirk. All the while, their spectral weapons clashed against each other all around them. They flew into the air, clashing into one another, destroying countless airships. Ardyn didn't care, as long as his opponent was dead. But something about his words bothered him. Being the eldest and youngest at the same time. Having origins similar to Prompto. Being able to wear the ring and yet not burn him. He was sure Noctis was an only child! Perhaps a different mother, but same father? Too many questions, not enough answers or time, which was rather ironic, considering how long he had lived.

"Why do you insist on fighting me?" asked Ardyn as he ducked under a sword swipe before raising his shield to block and crossbow bolt, "Do you not want to be the true king of Lucis? I could help you so."

"Not interested," giggled Gary, "You know how much paperwork they have to do? I'll let Noctis have that part, thank you very much."

"Ah yes, the curse that all rulers must bear," nodded Ardyn as he threw a large shuriken at Gary, only for him to jump up and catch it before hurling it back to him, "Still, why do you insist on serving under him?"

"That's for me to know only," replied Gary as he spun in the air before slashing down with a broadsword.

Ravus managed to call in a favor from Aranea Highwind, getting her personal ship to carry them. While Noctis and Lunafreya were still asleep in the same bed that Gladiolus had... commandeered from some home and bolted down into the ship so the two wouldn't be moving, the rest of them were at the near the cargo entrance with it open, tracking down Gary and Ardyn. It really wasn't hard to do so, considering the two left a path of destruction and giant explosions to tell everyone where they were. No, they were more amazed at the fact the fight had somehow carried them into towards Gralea. (Plot convenience, yaa!)

"What the hell is that kid?" asked Aranea curiously, "I didn't know he could do shit like that. Then again, I didn't know Ardyn could either."

"He claims to be a Caelum," said Ravus, "The older and younger. Though I'm not sure what that quite means."

"He also said he had origins similar to Prompto," added Ignis, "Prompto, do you know what that means? Prompto?"

They turned to him just to see him turning pale at their question.

"Prompt! You alright?" asked Gladiolus as he hurried over to him in worry.

"Yea, I'm fine," breathed out Prompto, "Just... I'll tell you more about it later, alright? Preferably when Noct's awake. Can we just focus on how Gary is kicking ass?"

"They're doing something!" warned Aranea.

Ardyn was getting tired of this battle and decided to show the boy true power.

"Ifrit, the Infernion. He doesn't like humanity, but you can expect him to give you a … warm welcome. I do thank you for driving this battle away from the water. He doesn't like it that much."

Hellfire burst out from behind Ardyn as a throne slowly rose in place to reveal Ifrit. He stood up, revealing himself to be roughly 18 meters tall.

"So sad that you haven't formed any sort of covenant," said Ardyn, "Perhaps you should've taken Leviathan for yourself."

As he looked over to Gary, he stepped back in shock as he saw those blue and green eyes turn purple and red.

"Who said I wasn't?" grinned Gary as he raised his hand to the sky, "Let me tell you a little story. Though the six Astral gods are the ones protect Eos and are the ones primarily worshiped, that doesn't mean there are more Astrals. The others just didn't lift a hand in helping, which is why there's only six. And the one I'm in a covenant in... well he doesn't like anyone in general, considering his job involves souls. But he'll give you an... unforgettable experience."

The skies suddenly darkened, and not like the night where daemons spawned. No, this darkness was much more than that, this pure blackness. Suddenly, from the darkness rode a figure on a horse. The figure got closer and closer, allowing them all to see a pure white horse in black armor. However, instead of the usual quadruped horses, this horse had eight legs instead. On the horse was another figure, wreathed in demonic black armor except for his head. On his head were two giant horns, curving inwards as he glared at Ifrit with his red eyes, raising his jet black sword.

Ardyn glanced at Ifrit and was treated to another shock as he saw Ifrit stepping back, as if afraid.

"Meet Odin, the Endthian, silent as death," introduced Gary.

Odin glared at Ifrit, who roared back in defiance before charging at Odin. Odin merely prodded his steed as he charged forward, raising his sword. The swords clashed, creating sparks and a shock wave.

* * *

"Where the hell did he pull that out!?" shouted Gladiolus, "I thought Noct was the only one who could summon Astrals? And I sure as hell don't know that one!"

"I'm not sure either," stated Ignis, doing his best not to panic, "Aranea, tell your pilot to get up higher in the sky. We risk putting ourselves in danger."

"Don't have to tell me twice," said Aranea.

Then they heard a camera rapidly clicking and turned to Prompto, who had his camera out, snapping as many photos as he could.

"What?" asked Prompto, "You don't get to see shit like this like... ever! Especially when we're actually not involved! I don't suppose we can go a little lower so I can get some better photos?"

"No!" shouted all of them.

"If you complain, then I will personally drag you out of this ship and drop you off right next to the battle and let you get your 'close up'," snarled Ravus, "I will not bring you back."

"Up here's fine!" said Prompto hastily.

* * *

As the Astrals clashed, Ardyn and Gary were fighting once more. Ardyn growled as he could not seem to get a solid hit on Gary, and began firing off bursts of daemonic energy. Gary countered that by firing bursts of flame, lighting, and ice. Soon, he began to fly away towards Insomnia, with Gary pursuing after him. The Astrals also began to follow them, fighting as they ran. When it looked like Ifrit was about to run through a town, though, Odin managed to lift Ifrit up into the sky, well over the town while his horse jumped over it.

"I thought you said your Astral doesn't like anyone in general!" shouted Ardyn, "Then why save the town?"

"Most likely because he'd have to deal with them in the afterlife and the paperwork involved in it would be too much of a hassle!" shouted Gary back, "Now get back here and fight me!"

Soon enough, they arrived at Gralea where a heavily constructed lab was, the Zegnautus Keep. It was at this time that Odin managed to disarm Ifrit and stab him in the chest, thus slaying him. As Ifrit slowly faded away, Odin merely gave a huff before disappearing into darkness.

Now, Ardyn seemed more interested in luring Gary deep inside the base now, causing suspicion to rise up within him.

'Maybe he has it here,' thought Gary, 'Guess it's time to put that other plan into action.'

While Ardyn turned a corner, Gary raised his left middle finger where the ring was. With a sigh, he raised up his sword.

"Took your time," sneered Ardyn as Gary finally made it around the corner. Gary blinked as he saw the crystal standing right there, without any other security.

"Well, go on," gestured Ardyn, "I've gotten tired of all this fighting. Even for an immortal like me, I do get tired for someone of my age. And I can see you're starting to run on fumes, too."

Gary glanced around, seeing no other people around him. He cautiously approached Ardyn instead, choosing to fight him instead.

"Tsk, always wanting to fight," sighed Ardyn.

Before Gary could react, Ardyn had grabbed his left arm and slammed it into the crystal, hoping it would absorb him. Then he noticed something missing in his plan. The Ring of Lucii was nowhere to be seen... as was his middle finger.

"Missing something?" grunted Gary as the ring suddenly appeared in his right hand. With a twist, he got behind Ardyn's back, grabbed his hand, quickly put the ring on the middle finger, and slammed his hand onto the crystal.

The crystal began to glow brightly, pulling both Gary and Ardyn into the crystal.

"What have you done!?" shouted Ardyn as he tried to pull out.

But it was too late. As the two of them began to be sucked into the crystal, Gary's last direct words to Ardyn chilled him.

"Long live the king!"

With that final hiss, the two of them disappeared into the crystal.

* * *

Noctis found himself in his eight-year-old form, laying in a field of sylleblossoms, waking up only because he heard Lunafreya calling for him.

"Luna?" Noctis asked as he rose to his knees, seeing Lunafreya as she was in her twelve-year-old form.

"So, you found your way here," said Lunafreya gently.

"And you found me," replied Noctis.

Lunafreya smiled, "A chance to see you once more… Who would have thought?"

As she turned away, Noctis quickly got on to his feet.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't you see me?" asked Noctis.

"Because my prayers have been answered. My calling fulfilled," answered Lunafreya as she turned back to him.

"But…that doesn't have to come between us," said Noctis slowly, not understanding what she was trying to say.

Lunafreya could only come close to him and bend down, looking at him straight in the eye, "You are the One, Noctis. The Stars shine for you now. That which is yours by right shall be restored to you."

She took a few steps away while Noctis tried to process her words, "Do you remember the flowers of Tenebrae? It seems so long ago. You'll find they await you still, blooming from hill to vale."

"Will you be there?" asked Noctis.

Lunafreya was silent for what seemed to be a long time before solemnly shaking her head. Suddenly, strong winds picked up, blowing sylleblossoms about. Lunafreya transformed into her current self while the winds blew into Noctis's eyes.

"Would that I could join you… but this moment will have to be enough," said Lunafreya softly as the field began to disappear into dark wisps.

"It's not right…," said Noctis, finally understanding what was happening, "All I… All I wanted…was to save you."

The dark wisps began to envelop the both of them, and the background began to change as if they were within the ocean. Lunafreya reached down and plucked a sylleblossom, holding it to her chest.

"When the world falls down around you," began Lunafreya, trying to give Noctis hope, "and hope is lost, when you find yourself alone, amid a lightless place, look to the distance. Know that I am there and that I watch over you always."

Lunafreya held out the last sylleblossom existing and released it towards Noctis as she began to sink into the darkness.

"Farewell, dear Noctis," said Lunafreya, pouring all her emotions into it.

Grief suddenly filled Noctis's face as he transformed to his real self, desperately clawing at the sea to reach her. He tried to swim to her, but something kept him still. As Lunafreya slowly drifted into darkness, her whole body relaxed, the sylleblossom transformed into the Ring of Lucii. Heartbroken, Noctis was about to take the ring when another hand seized it.

Noctis turned to see Gary somehow next to him. Then, with a swift push off him, Gary went straight for Lunafreya, grabbing her hand. Lunafreya opened her eyes in shock.

"Not yet," said Gary, "Not for a long time."

Then with a shout, he spun and tossed Lunafreya right into Noctis, who caught her.

"Your ending isn't here," smiled Gary as he began to sink towards darkness, "Yours is just beginning. The both of you. Don't worry too much about that damn prophecy. We make our own future, not the Astrals or some other divine providence. As for the ring, I'll take care of this whole mess."

Gary looked straight into Noctis's eyes, who tried to reach out to him in vain. Gary merely smiled before giving him a two finger salute, "See you later, little brother."

With that, Gary turned to the darkness and dove straight into it head on while Lunafreya and Noctis were pulled to the light.

* * *

Noctis slowly opened his eyes just to see a blue ceiling above him. He tried to lean forward when he noticed someone clutching onto his right hand. Noctis looked over and froze as he saw Lunafreya just laying there, clutching his hand with her own. Tears began to form in his eyes as he gently leaned over to Lunafreya, placing his left hand over her face, as if cradling something precious and fragile.

"Luna," whispered Noctis.

As if hearing his words, Lunafreya slowly opened her eyes to see Noctis's face right above hers.

"Noctis?" said Lunafreya, as if not believing her own eyes, "Are you truly here, my dear Noctis?"

Luna raised her hand towards his face in disbelief, not actually touching his face. For she was terrified that the moment she touched him, that he would shatter. That all of this was merely an illusion.

Noctis quietly took her hovering hand and pushed it into his face, allowing Lunafreya to know that he was truly here.

"Luna," whispered Noctis once more, "My Luna."

"My Noctis," whispered Lunafreya back as tears threatened to leak out.

Noctis began to lower his head, his lips going nearer and nearer to Luna's lips, who merely tilted her head a little and closed her eyes.

Just as their lips were about to meet...

"Hello sleeping beauties! Time to wake up!" said Prompto as he kicked open the door.

Noctis immediately pulled back in shock and almost hurled his sword at Prompto. Lunafreya had also sat up in embarrassment, her face flushed.

"Prompto! They have just been through a rather harrowing ordeal," lectured Ignis as he appeared, "You can not wake up someone like this."

"Well it looks like they're awake already," grunted Gladiolus, "Good to see you both up."

"Where are we?" asked Noctis, trying to bring down the flush from his face.

"We're currently at Cape Caeum," answered Ravus from the door, "We're hiding from the Empire for now, and Lestallum was too much of an obvious spot. And Prompto, if you disturb my sister's well-deserved rest like that again, I will use you as my practice dummy."

"Noted!" squeaked Prompto.

Ravus turned his attention to Lunafreya, his visage softening a little, "Sister, are you feeling well? Do you need a cup of water?"

Lunafreya found herself actually quite thirsty, and so nodded before gesturing to also get Noctis a cup. Ravus frowned but nodded, leaving before swiftly returning with two cups. The two of them quickly took the cups and drained it pretty fast before taking a deep breath.

"How long have we been out?" asked Noctis.

"About four days, your highness," remarked Ignis, "Both of you two had to be fed through an IV just to make sure nothing was wrong. Though the two of you wouldn't let go of each other's hands until now."

"Yea, so go hit the showers," said Gladiolus, "None of us could really bath you two, and I'm sure after four days of nonstop sleep, you two must smell by now."

Noctis gave himself an experimental sniff before agreeing to it, as did Lunafreya. Noctis was about to tell Lunafreya that she could go first when Prompto decided to push his foot into his mouth even more, "Why don't you both just take a shower together? It'll save some time and water!"

Prompto then had to scream and duck as Ravus tried to stab him in the head.

"Oh c'mon," squeaked Prompto, "They're husband and wife, aren't they? It's only natural! Not to mention it would save time!"

"The fact is that despite the fact they are engaged, they are not married yet," growled Ravus, "It does not mean they are allowed to engage in such affairs yet, if ever. Now stand still, and I promise this won't hurt much when I stab you through the head."

"That'll kill me!" wailed Prompto as he ran away.

"And yet, it won't hurt," said Ravus as he chased after him, "Stand still boy, otherwise it'll just be more painful for you!"

"As much as Prompto might have deserved some of this, I better go make sure Ravus doesn't actually kill Prompto," groaned Gladiolus before leaving to go after them.

"If you wish, there are two bathrooms here in the house," stated Ignis before pointing to a chair with tow piles of clothes and towels, "Feel free to use those. As for your current clothes, merely dump them into a basin, and I will have Iris help me wash your clothes. Come on down when you are both ready, we have much to talk about."

As Ignis began to leave, he paused before turning his head back to them, "It's good to see the both of you awake again."

Soon Lunafreya and Noctis was left alone once more, this time staring at each other. They couldn't seem to get enough of each other's face after so long. They had only written to each other with the help of Pryna and Umbra.

"I guess we really should get to that shower," sighed Noctis as he grabbed his stack, "I'll take the bottom bathroom since the top one is bigger."

Before he could leave, he found his shirt being tugged by Lunafreya.

"If you want," stuttered Lunafreya, "We could just take a shower together. It would be faster. Not to mention we could use this time to talk. And since we haven't taken a bath for a while, we could wash each other's backs."

Noctis and Lunafreya blushed crimson at what she had suggested but found no arguments arising from either of them. Soon, they both entered the larger bathroom and closed the door, making sure to lock it.

* * *

An hour later, they had all gathered back in the secret basement to regroup. Ravus had defected while Aranea had quit. Yet the Empire of Niflheim was currently in chaos due to all the fighting Gary and Ardyn had caused, leaving them some breathing room. Speaking of Gary...

"Where's Gary?" asked Noctis as he looked at his crew, Cor, Monica, Iris, Cid, and the others. Lunafreya had been filled in about their sudden fifth member while taking a bath.

"Err..," started Prompto, who was covered in bandages. Ravus huffed as he had been unsuccessful in stabbing him. For a civilian trained person, Prompto could really run away when needed.

"I believe this video will tell us everything," stated Ignis as he pulled out a file from his phone before connecting it to a television that was set up by Cor and Monica.

As soon as Ignis hit play, Gary appeared on the screen by himself. From the background, it looked like he had taken it during their stay at Lestallumm before they had gone on the boat. They had driven there to shop for some new gear.

"I think I've seen this man," said Lunafreya from her loveseat with Noctis, much to Ravus's displeasure, "Though I don't remember where. I think I only managed a glance at him back when we were at my home in Tenebrae."

"Shh, it's starting," said Prompto eagerly as he had popcorn, and was sharing it with Talcott and Iris.

"Yo, if you're seeing this video... Must mean I'm not with you guys anymore," started Gary, "Guess I have a lot of things to explain about, right? Especially if you all saw me doing some weird stuff."

"I'd say summoning an unknown Astral would be one," snarked Aranea, causing Lunafreya and Noctis to turn their heads towards her in disbelief. And yet nobody corrected her.

"So yea... Guess I should start with my origins," sighed Gary, "Though to better understand this, you might need to pause this for a bit. Prompto, Cor, you two should know."

Cor promptly grabbed the phone and paused it before looking at Prompto.

"Cor, you know about me?" gaped Prompto.

"Course I know," snorted Cor, "I was the one who brought you here to Lucis. I was the one who suggested the foster parents, and brought you your Chocobo plushy doll."

"You brought me Mr. Warkus?" asked Prompto in surprise, causing a bit of snickering in the background.

"Can we just get on with the story?" interrupted Ravus, "Not all of us want to go off tangent."

Cor glanced at Prompto once more, as if asking permission. Prompto took a deep breath and nodded, also a bit curious about his own origins. The only thing he knew was where he was from.

"I'll try to keep this short," sighed Cor, "I found Prompto at Niflheim in less than ideal circumstances for a baby. So I took him. Prompto, what you don't know is I actually stole you from a magitek lab from Verstael Besithia himself."

"That mad scientist?" clarified Ravus, to which Cor nodded.

"I'm not too sure why you were there, but I decided it wasn't safe for you, especially with what he was experimenting with. I took his data as well before I left with you."

Prompto closed his eyes for a bit, "Then I'm what, a clone?"

"I don't know," responded Cor.

"It doesn't matter," said Noctis suddenly, "You may have been from Niflheim, but you're a Lucis citizen, a Crownguard, and most importantly, my friend."

Prompto had to turn away to prevent others from noticing his tears.

"Ok, so we know that the kid here was a test tube baby," stated Aranea quickly, "What does that have to do with Gary here."

"I'm sure we're about to find out," stated Ignis as he pressed play once more, raising his glasses up to his nose.

"I'm going to assume that Cor explained some things," continued Gary, "So I'll try to summarize this. The data that Cor stole was used to... well... create me. I'm a clone of Noctis, so to speak. There's a little difference between us here and there."

"What!?" shouted all of them.

"This was a top-secret project that only very few people knew," continued Gary, "Such as Clarus Amicita, Weskham Armaugh, and the head leader of the Scientia family. Nobody else knew of me, to make sure there were no leaks. My 'real' name is Garistu Lucis Caelum, created when Noctis was still a toddler and aged faster to be able to protect him. The younger and yet older brother, so to speak."

"So that's why he could wear the ring!" growled Ravus. "He could be the 'chosen' king because he is another Noctis!"

"Anyways I was aged to be older than Noctis before King Regis, or dad I suppose, told me why he created me. He never wanted his son to be the King of kings, the True King, because, in the end, the chosen one must sacrifice his own life to banish the darkness. Truth be told, I was pretty jealous, and considered sabotaging the whole thing. Then one day, while I was doing my duty watching over Noctis in secret, I saw you and Lunafreya together. At that moment, I knew I had to protect both of you from your 'fate'. Destiny may be written in stone, but stone can be destroyed. We write our own path, and I chose the path to protect your futures."

Gary took a breath before continuing, "And so I was trained in private. In weapons, magic, a bit of cooking to help Ignis, and enough literature that I could read. Father gave me all the information I needed to help protect your future, even if it meant going against the Six Astrals and the plan. Luckily, be sheer coincidence or luck, Carbuncle helped me forge a covenant with another Astral not part of the Six."

"Carbuncle?" gasped Noctis, "I remember! When I was in a coma when I was small, Carbuncle helped me out of the coma. It's why I always keep the Carbuncle figurine with me."

"Carbuncle is a messenger of the Astrals, like Umbra and Pyrna," continued Gary, "But she's rather unique. Rather than helping the Oracle and letting mankind know of the Astral's will, she focuses instead on becoming a guardian for Noctis. So when she found out about Noctis being sacrificed, she asked if I would protect you. If I did, then she would fetch another Astral to forge a covenant with."

Gary began to chuckle before continuing, "Two nights later, she brought in the Astral Odin. He's a rather powerful one, almost as strong as Bahamut himself. Then she went ahead and brought me one more, saying if I needed her. The other one almost made me faint within my own dream. Carbuncle truly does care for you Noctis. Almost like a mother would."

Gary took a drink of water to buy him some time and wet his throat before continuing on, "So anyway, to summarize it, if you're watching this and Ardyn and I are nowhere to be found, that means I succeeded in the plan. The Starscourge may still be around, but it should fade in time if what I theorized and did was right. The Empire, though, is still a threat. As much as I'd like to help you retake Insomnia, I'm afraid that's up to you now, Noctis."

"Show them what it means to mess with a Lucian," smiled Gary, "Retake the kingdom, become the king of our people, and if you can, take back Tenebrae as a gift for your wife. I'm sure you can do it. After all, you are my little brother. This is Garistu Lucis Caelum, signing off."

* * *

 **Ta daa. Hope you enjoyed it. I made it quite obvious this OC was a Gary Stu for shits and giggles.**


End file.
